Rudd was aware of uranium policy shift

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd was kept informed of Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s decision to support uranium exports to India, government sources have told The Australian Financial Review as tension builds between the two.

Mr Rudd knew of the decision before it was announced and was able to brief his Indian counterpart on the change in policy during a visit to India this week.

But the former Prime Minister has been offended at the lack of consultation with Ms Gillard over the decision, which is seen as a fait accompli because it has enough support within the ALP to be passed at the party’s national conference next month.

Ms Gillard made clear her decision to support a change in the Labor policy platform, amending a ban on uranium exports to countries that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The policy change is being pursued as a personal cause by Ms Gillard and was not the subject of a cabinet discussion because it would first require changes to the party platform that binds the executive.

A spokeswoman said Mr Rudd told The Financial Review on Tuesday that he had been informed of the decision to overturn the ban before the story was released to the media and he had briefed India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna.

Mr Rudd’s department is primarily responsible for negotiating the safeguards agreements under which uranium would be exported to India, but this is not due to commence until after the ALP conference.

Ms Gillard wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday night to tell him of her decision. It was sent by fax and Mr Rudd was told of it.

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Speaking in Banaglore yesterday, Mr Rudd told reporters that he had spoken on Monday evening with Mr Krishna about the letter to Mr Singh.

“The Indian Foreign Minister has indicated that the Government of India welcomes this initiative by the Australian Prime Minister," he said.

Mr Rudd told the reporters that he supported the change in position.

Even so, Ms Gillard’s personal action increases tension with the man she replaced as Prime Minister in June 2010.

It is the second time that a major shift in policy has been pursued without deep consultation between Ms Gillard and Mr Rudd.

In September the Prime Minister launched a inquiry into Australia’s relations with Asia, to be led by former treasury secretary Ken Henry. The Financial Review understands that Mr Rudd was not consulted on that initiative beforehand.